In everything there is a fine balancing act to keep a general equilibrium. At some point there is the tipping point where something throws the balance off. It may be to the good, it may be to the bad. At that point do you go with the tip, or do you try to achieve equilibrium again?
If the ultimate outcome is deemed to be unpleasant, how much are you willing to endure before hitting your tipping point? If the outcome is to be a good outcome, do you maybe ease off and take the money and run, per se?
This is where I get seriouse and toss the veil. When I my Blazer finally died last October my good buddy Ryan mentioned that I have very little left to remind me of my life but a year or two ago. This is with one exception. Hobbes.
Little buddy is somewhat sick, mostly from old age. He is sixteen years old. From November to January he managed to lose 30% of his body weight. Granted he could stand to lose a little heft. In context, let's say that I ballooned to 200 lbs. That would be like me dropping to 140 in three months. Pretty friggin' gross. I am not done. The former Fat Cat has dropped two more pounds. he know weighs in at a very bony 10 pounds. That would be like me dropping 24 more pounds and weighing in at 116 pounds. Weigh yourself tonight. Then figure out what 58% of that would be. Now you see the issue. That would be like Steevo weighing 75 pounds!
Hobbes has lost 42% of his body weight in six months. He is not really eating much. He does not drink much. At what point is there the tipping point of me watching him waste away to stay alive? Hell, I could not even go see my Grandmother last month because she is so emaciated.
This leads to my moral dilemna and tipping point. What do I do. The Vet has said the weight loss will not stop. Eventually the Parathyroid will run so rampant it shuts down the kidneys.
When is it finally too much? When can I no longer allow the quantity of his time overrule the quality? He is the being that I have spent more of my life life than any other person/being over the past twenty years.
At what point is it Ok to say this just can not go on?
Am I a bad person for even considering that maybe living like this is not a good thing for him?
I just now that I have reached the tipping point.
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3 comments:
don't do it
do it - spare kitty the continued suffering that will not stop.
Its a tough call that we have had to make too many times in the last couple of years...sometimes we made an ok call:
http://littlejewford.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html
and sometimes we blew it:
http://littlejewford.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
add to that my experience with my first dog, who died at home from cancer, a shadow of his former self , and I'd say its a difficult but selfless act to let them go before they suffer.
later
SL (aka LJ)
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